Which dates get fees waived?
Strike actionWednesday 23 September, day 1 of 2Ground and customer service staff, seven airportsAustralian Services Union members at Cairns, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon and Adelaide, the airports where Jetstar employs staff directly.12:01am to midnightWhat passengers getStaff on shift are not collecting excess baggage charges, seat-change fees, late fees or other sales transactions.Fees waived, not guaranteedWhat to do: keep your booking, flights are running to schedule. You might dodge a baggage or seat-change fee today, but it isn’t guaranteed.Strike actionThursday 24 September, day 2 of 2Ground and customer service staff, same seven airportsThe action continues at Cairns, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon and Adelaide until midnight, then ends.Ends midnightWhat passengers getThe same fee waivers as Wednesday: excess baggage, seat changes, late fees and other sales transactions.Fees waived, not guaranteedWhat to do: same as Wednesday. Fees are back to normal from Friday 25 September.
Jetstar staff are waiving some optional fees during a two-day pay strike, covering Wednesday and Thursday. The strike hit the AFL Grand Final and school-holiday weekend. Outside these two dates, normal fees apply.
See live Jetstar fares on Australian domestic routes, whatever your dates.
Questions
What fees are being waived during the strike?
Staff involved say they will not be collecting some optional charges on Jetstar’s behalf: excess baggage fees, seat-selection charges, late fees and other sales transactions. This is a choice by staff on shift, not an official Jetstar discount policy, so treat it as a possibility rather than something to plan around.
Is Jetstar on strike right now?
Checked 23 September 2026: yes, today is the first of two days of protected industrial action by Australian Services Union members at seven airports. It runs from 12:01am on 23 September to midnight on 24 September, then ends.
Which airports are affected?
Cairns, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon and Adelaide: the seven airports where Jetstar employs its own ground and customer service staff. Other airports Jetstar flies to are not directly affected by this action.
Will my Jetstar flight be cancelled?
Not because of this action. Jetstar says it has plans in place so there is no impact to its operations, and ASU members are continuing to work rather than walking off the job. Check your own booking and the airport departure board regardless, since ordinary delays still happen.
Why are Jetstar staff striking?
The Australian Services Union says members want wage increases that close the gap with other Qantas Group employees, better morning shift penalties and overtime pay, improved sick and personal leave, stronger extreme-heat and weather protections, a fairer classification structure, and better job security and redundancy protections. Jetstar says it continues to meet with the union while working towards what it calls a constructive outcome.
Sources
- Central Western Daily, “Jetstar workers strike over pay, waiving extra passenger fees”, Australian Community Media wire report, the strike dates, airports, waived fees and union quotes, retrieved 23 September 2026.
- The Daily Advertiser, “Jetstar passengers could dodge extra fees during snap two-day strike”, the same wire report, the AFL Grand Final and school-holiday timing, retrieved 23 September 2026.
How this page is built and what it leaves out
- Every date, airport and fee on this page is transcribed from Australian Community Media’s wire report on the Australian Services Union dispute, syndicated across regional NSW, VIC and QLD titles and read 23 September 2026.
- “Discount” is the word some coverage and readers use for this. What is actually happening is narrower: staff involved in the protected action say they are not collecting certain optional fees while on shift. It is not an advertised Jetstar fare reduction, and this page treats it as a possibility rather than a guarantee.
- No strike dates beyond 24 September 2026 have been announced. That is the limit of what has been declared, not a forecast that the dispute is settled.
- This page does not cover compensation for delays or cancellations, because both the union and Jetstar say flights are expected to operate to schedule. If that changes, a passenger whose flight is delayed or cancelled should ask Jetstar directly, since standard Australian consumer law rather than the airline-strike compensation regimes used in the EU and UK applies here.
Disclaimer: We’ve worked hard to make sure the information in this article is as accurate and up to date as possible at the time of publishing. Travel details such as prices, schedules, visa rules, and entry requirements can change at short notice, so it remains your responsibility to verify the current details with official sources before you book or travel. Wego accepts no liability for any loss or inconvenience arising from the use of this content.
